This Is What I Deserve
by SkeletonPinata
Summary: [One-Shot] Beni thinks that after a life of being a peasant and a thief, finding all this gold at Hamunaptra was a sign that his life was finally going to take a turn for the better. Finally...he was getting what he deserved. (Beni's thoughts from the end of the first film.)


******Hello everyone! I thought I would try my hand at a quick little Beni one shot. Nothing really too perfect, just something I wrote to pass the time. This is a one-shot that takes place between the time Beni finds the throne room until his death. It focuses on his thoughts and we get to see what he was up to before his imminent doom. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

******This is What I Deserve**

Gold.

_Gold. _Mountains of coins, cups, statues and pillars...it was a sight to see. An _amazing _sight. All of the gold shimmered under the light, making it look even more incredible than it already did. It was almost too good to be true, but here it was, right before his eyes.

The Hungarian man chuckled a bit and grinned wickedly as he spun around to admire the throne room. All the wealth of Egypt from the Pharaohs of the past was literally at his grasp.

The perks for working for a 3,000 year old mummy were finally beginning to show and Beni Gabor was loving every single bit of this room. As he looked around, his thoughts race; what was he going to do with all of this?

His thoughts were interrupted as the moans from Imhotep's priests could be heard. They were growing more and more distant as Beni turned around to look. He could barely see O'Connell, Carnahan and the Medjai warrior anymore. From Beni's point of view, they were being drowned in a sea of mummies, slowly exiting the throne room. It wasn't long before even their gun shots faded away.

Beni shrugged, not really caring that someone he once considered a friend was gone. "He was bound to kill himself one of these days," he said to himself as he turned his attention to the gold.

He took out a small piece of cloth from his holster. He frowned as he looked at it. It was much too small and not big enough to carry the amount of gold he wanted.

_This will just have to do I guess, _Beni thought to himself with a sigh.

Beni got on his knees and begun to stash away whatever his little bag could carry. A bag full of this would be enough for him to buy a house of his own. Hell maybe even a _mansion. _

Beni snorted at the idea of him living in a mansion. _The poor peasant boy living in a mansion? Now that would be quite the sight._

Ever since Beni could remember, he was always on his own, scavenging for food, money...hell, _anything _he could get. The streets of Budapest were not so friendly to anyone...not even children.

Especially poor, orphaned children...like Beni.

Originally, Beni's life into thievery began because it was necessary for his survival. He had no money, so it was only natural that it was the only way. It wasn't until he got older when he realized the value of wealth.

Wealth could get you more than just food. It could buy a home, clothes, water...it could even buy _happiness._

Beni smiled as he began to finish fitting in as much gold as he could into the bag by tucking in one last item: a golden scepter. He grinned at the scepter and jammed it in rather forcefully in the bag. He then got up and tried to lift it but it was far too heavy to sling over his shoulder. Beni bent down and began to pull it across the ground. He went slowly and as steady as he could so as to not spill any gold.

He struggled which each tug, grunting and panting along the way.

_The French Foreign Legion didn't build up my strength, _he thought to himself. _All it did was taught me how to put a gun in my hand and pull the trigger._

Once Beni was old enough, he enlisted into the French Foreign Legion to escape Budapest, as well as escape from anyone else who may have been hunting him down for stealing their stuff. Despite the hard work that he had to do, it was decent enough. He got rations, water, and was taught how to defend himself. That's where he met Rick O'Connell, also an orphan boy. Their lack of parents was what originally helped the two become close as friends.

Actually...O'Connell was Beni first and only friend.

Beni scoffed. _Friend...ha! As if bullying me around and picking on me constitutes friendship._

Throughout their training and time together, Beni wasn't the strongest in the legion. He came in as an amateur and couldn't even hold a gun correctly. He was also too afraid of death to fight, a fear which he built from years of fending for his survival in Budapest.

O'Connell would laugh at his weary attempts to shoot a gun or fight. Calling Beni a "wimp." Of course, all Beni could do was laugh along with him, but it didn't mean that Beni liked it.

Maybe that's why when he left O'Connell behind at Hamunaptra a few years ago, he didn't feel guilty at all. O'Connell shouted at him not to close the door, but Beni didn't care. What mattered to him was his own survival, and if he had allowed O'Connell into the ruins with him, they both would have been dead.

Or at least, that's what he told himself.

He could here through the muffled stone door the gun shots blazing wildly until suddenly...silence. He was sure that O'Connell was dead.

It was amazing how easily Beni could shut out someone he considered a friend.

But Beni didn't need friends. Friends would only slow him down.

And when he discovered that O'Connell was alive, he was truly shocked. He knew this American strong, but he was stupid. Definitely more balls then brains...it's a wonder how he even survived the cursed city.

And even before Beni swore his allegiance to Imhotep, O'Connell had done nothing but threaten to kill him.

_You deserve every bit of hell that you are experiencing right now O'Connell you bastard, _he thought to himself as he looked onward in anger, still dragging the bag along.

He could feel the heat of the desert on his back as he exited the ruins. He gave the bag a few more tugs before dropping it on the ground. He panted a bit a placed a hand on his sore back, moaning in pain from the stress he just put on his body. As he tried to stretch out his limbs and crack his back, he noticed in the distance a few four legged creatures roaming around aimlessly.

Camels.

Beni grinned at the creatures. _Yes, this will do just fine._

It didn't matter to him who they belonged to. They could have been the remaining camels left behind when everyone fled from Hamunaptra to Fort Brydon.

Beni ran up to a camel and began to pull on his ropes. The camel resisted going with Beni, groaning with each step it took. Beni struggled pulling the camel along, cursing in Hungarian as he did so. It was before long that Beni had the upper hand and was finally able to control the camel a bit more. It was as if the camel stopped caring anymore.

When he finally dragged the camel closer to the ruins, he let go of the rope and ran over to the bag of gold he left behind. With as much strength as he could muster, he got on top of some stone formation near the entrance of the ruins and pulled the bag up. With one finally heave, he lifted the bag and plopped in onto the camel's back.

The camel moaned in distaste as Beni smirked at his success. He then looked at the bag and dug his hand into the pouch. He took out one of the golden trinkets and just looked at it greedily as it shined in the sun.

Finally...Beni Gabor, the once poor Hungarian peasant...was now a rich man.

_This...is what I deserve, _he thought to himself with a smile. _After all those years of hardship, the Gods are finally granting me a reward._

He chuckled a bit as Evy's words echoed in his mind.

_You know, nasty little fellows such as yourself always get their comeuppance._

Years of hardship, stealing and lies are finally being rewarded with a bag full of gold.

_How is that for a comeuppance?_ He thought to himself as he grinned.

Serving the right hand of the devil definitely had it's benefits.

But Beni's smile soon turned into a frown. He looked back at the ruins and looked onward with longing.

His greed was beginning to grow as his thoughts pondered on all the gold that was still left in the chamber. He knew he already had a lot in his bag and that he could easily escape Hamunaptra and live a comfortable life...even if Imhotep does lose.

But...he felt like he deserved...more...

_No one is going to be taking that gold, _Beni told himself. _Besides, O'Connell and his friends are probably almost dead by now. I could easily slip by and take more..._

Beni grinned at the thought of O'Connell dead. _Finally not so tough anymore my kedeves ____barátom__ …_

Beni jumped off the camel and took off one of the empty bags the camel was carrying on it's back. Slinging the bags onto his back and lighting a torch, he walked right back inside the ruins to find the chamber of gold again.

As he walked, Beni's thoughts wandered as to what he could do with all this money. _I could buy myself a home in Cairo, _he told himself. _Or even travel the world. I could live anywhere I pleased. Maybe even go to London._

He knew one thing for sure. He wasn't going to go back to Budapest, Hungary. Hell no.

_May that place burn in hell, _he thought to himself. Budapest did nothing but serve as the place of many unhappy memories of his childhood. There was no way he would ever go back to that hellhole.

Beni could here moans in the distance. _That's strange...if Imhotep had already killed O'Connell and performed the ritual, then why would he still have his mummies aro..._

Then Beni groaned and kicked a pillar while doing so. He cursed under his breath and slammed his fist on the wall.

O'Connell was probably still alive.

Now a bit more panicked and feeling more pressed for time, Beni ran further and faster into the chamber as his legs could carry him. Even though he had no proof of O'Connell still being alive, it was enough for him to get the hell out of there before he could find out.

Besides, if O'Connell was alive and found Beni...he would kill him for sure with no hesitation.

Beni finally made it back into the gold throne room. With no time to get lost in how much gold there still was, Beni got on his knees and began to stuff the satchels with as much gold as he could.

_There is no way even O'Connell could stop Imhotep, _Beni reassured himself as he continued to grab handfuls of gold. _Even someone with his brute force doesn't have a chance against this man's powers. O'Connell will die for sure._

It took him a few good minutes to finally finish stuffing the bags, but with a few more handfuls he had succeeded. He looked on at the bags happily. Beni was more satisfied than he was before.

_Now _this, he thought, _is much more fitting for me._

He got up from the floor and took the two bags. He slung the handle connecting the two bags on his shoulder so that one bag would rest on his front and the other on his back. He struggled a bit to walk as his legs teetered back and forth. He tried his best to stand upright.

He didn't care how much he had to struggle. He wanted this.

He _deserved _this.

"All this gold will make up for the horrible life I had in Budapest,"he told himself. "I can't give up now. I have to get back outside. Once I am there, I am a free man."

He smiled. _A free rich_ _man._

He began to walk out of the throne room, each step feeling heavier then the last. His brow began to fill with sweat as he continued to struggle with the weight.

A few more minutes had passed and Beni was still no where near the exit of the ruins. He was getting tired really quickly and in need of a rest.

"Oh Gods help me," he said out loud, desperate to get out of the ruins and out of Hamunaptra.

Then, as if the Gods answered his prayers, he saw something right out of the corner of his eye.

An arm rest sticking out of the wall.

Seeing this as an opportunity to rest before gong forward, Beni smiled.

_Luck is on my side today._

He used what was left of his strength to walk towards the arm rest. He walked over to it sideways, letting his body hit the wall as he did so. He then gritted his teeth as he lifted the heavy bags off of him, and let them slide onto the arm rest. He panted, his chest heaving up and down. Finally, he could catch his breath and relax for a minute before lugging all that treasure out again.

Suddenly, he heard a creaking noise.

Beni looked around anxiously at where the sound was coming from. Sand began to fall from the ceiling. His eyes darted around the room until they fell into the arm rest he found.

_A lever...that's a lever..._Beni thought to himself with fear in his eyes. His heart sank as he had just realized what he had done.

He, Beni Gabor, had begun the sinking of Hamunaptra.

He panicked. He wasn't prepared for this to happen. He took the bags off of the lever and tried his best to put the bags over his shoulder but he didn't have the strength for it anymore. He resorted to tugging the bag into a hallway, where the door was beginning to close.

Beni tried so hard to quicken his pace so that he could get into the door, but it was no use. Some of the gold had begun spilling out of the bag due to his haste.

Even though he so desperately wanted this bag of gold, he knew what he had to do.

He let go of the bag and with a torch still in his, he fell onto the ground and slid himself under the door before it could close and crush him. He screamed in fear as he did so, now truly fearing for his life at this point.

Once he made it out of the door, Beni stood right back up and kept running, determined to survive.

_I have to make it, _he told himself as he forced himself to run. _I can't just let all this work be for nothing. I have to make it...I need a better life..I deserve it...Oh Gods please..._

He continued to panic as sand fell on him as he ran. He knew he was getting closer to the golden throne room, as he could see gold glistening from a distance. He ran towards it, hoping to find a short cut to an exit.

Once he entered the throne room, he couldn't believe his eyes.

The Carnahans and O'Connell were there, running for their lives.

_They did it...They defeated Imhotep..._

Beni was shocked.

He watched on as Evy and O'Connell had to drag Jonathan out of the throne room and into the other side where a giant stone wall was slowly beginning to fall.

Realizing that he needed to go, Beni began to run again, catching up to the trio. He knew that O'Connell hated him, but maybe...maybe...

"O'Connell!"

He screamed out his friends name as he raced up the steps. Jonathan and Evy were already on the other side, safe and sound.

Beni screamed his name again, "O'Connell!"

O'Connell had just reached the other side of the wall and turned his head to look at Beni. His eyes wide as he realized that Beni was also trying to escape. Realizing that the wall was almost all the way down, Beni went down and tried to scoot over to O'Connell, who had his hand raised.

"Save me!"

"C'mon!"

Beni was frightened out of his mind as he could feel the wall above him close in on him. He couldn't not believe despite the obvious hatred they shared, O'Connell was trying to save him.

O'Connell tried to reach Beni's hand so that he could pull him over to the other side of the wall. Their fingers had just met and were immediately separated when the wall on the other side finally fell, separating Beni and O'Connell from one another.

Beni could not believe it. He didn't make it.

And to make matter worse, he could hear from the other side of the wall:

"Goodbye Beni."

Beni gulped.

He touched the wall, as if he wanted so desperately to try to find another way, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He turned to see the wall above him closing in. Grabbing his torch, he scuttle his way out from underneath the stone wall and made it back into the throne room before it could squish him.

He ran down the steps, desperately looking for a way out, but every doorway he found was already closed. The walls were finally closing up as one hit one of the mirrors keeping the room lit.

Now the room was only lit up thanks to Beni's small torch.

Beni whimpered. _Why is this happening to me? Is...this a punishment?_

He could not believe what was happening right now. He was stuck in the throne room of Hamunaptra, with no where to go and city was sinking. There was no way he was going for more than 3 days without food or water.

Beni was panicking, still looking for an alternative. _There has to be a way! There's no way I can be stuck here!_

His eyes then met with a scarab beetle, who twitched at him.

_Oh no._

Beni's face fell at the sight of the creature, the fear in him rising . He tried to shoo it away with his torch, but the creature stood it's ground.

Then, he could feel his heart stop completely.

He turned as he heard a whole gang of scarabs crawling on the ground in massive numbers. Beni tried his best to shoo those away as well, but he knew it was no use. Despite the bugs small size, there were too many of them and they were capable of more than the damage he could inflict on them.

More scarabs began to pile into the throne room. He trembled in great fear, clutching the torch closer to him as the bugs grew closer and closer towards him.

Beni's thoughts began to race. He wasn't going to escape Hamunaptra a rich man.

He wasn't going to be able to travel or buy a home.

He wasn't even going to _live._

He is going to die in this chamber and the bugs were probably going to devour his corpse so quickly that if anyone were to find him, he would be unrecognizable.

Beni was panicking still, knowing that death was near. He was coming to terms with why this was happening.

He stole, lied and cheated to get by in life. He let others die for him in the French Foreign Legion and basically left O'Connell for dead. He let the Americans dies because he sold his soul to work for a man who was set on destroying the world.

He did all of this, just to save his own neck.

And now there was no one else to help him. He screwed so many people over, and now it was his turn. Even after all that he has done, O'Connell tried to save him.

_You know, nasty little fellows such as yourself always get their comeuppance._

Those words echoed once again in his mind, now in a more taunting sort of way, digging into his conscious.

_That girl was right, _he thought as he continued to tremble in fear, the bugs seconds away from eating his flesh.

Beni clutched onto the torch closer as it began to go out. He shut his eyes, knowing that any second now, he would die.

He never deserved to live a luxurious life, despite the hardship he had in Budapest.

He didn't deserve the gold he found in Hamunaptra.

He didn't deserve to live anymore.

Beni then began to scream as the bugs began to burrow into his skin and reach their way up his skull.

These bugs...this darkness...this horrible impending death that was slowly creeping inside of him...

_This is what I...the peasant thief...truly deserve, _he thought as he continued to cry in agony until he couldn't cry anymore.

**Poor Beni...makes you almost feel bad for the guy. I am sure I didn't do him justice but I just thought it would be a fun little thing to write while I work on my other Mummy story, "Coincidence and Fate." I hope you guys liked this one! There may be more one-shots in the future!**


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